In the 1910-20s, Blues finally settled down into a form that everyone could agree upon. This was in large part due to WC Handy who is considered to be the Father of the Blues. WC played cornet, and paved a way for horns in blues to be a standard thing.

WC traveled with a minstrel show and would implement this style of playing into the music he had to play for the show. In doing this, WC was able to get his sound out to a wider audience than he would have expected, prepping the general public for the music that was yet to come.

St Louis Blues was written in 1914 and first recorded a year later. By 1930, it was not only the most popular song, but also the most widely recorded song of the time. Something notable about this song is that it was the first published song to implement blues tonality into the melody (we'll get to blues tonality another day).

An important Classic Blues musician was the singer Ma Raney. She had heard the blues on street corners and became hooked. Horn players of the genre would try to imitate voices like hers with swoops and filler notes.

Another vocalist who was influential during this time was Bessie Smith. She recorded often with many of the famous jazz names we know today, including Louis Armstrong.